


A Sailor's Soul

by AceDetective



Series: Pirate Au [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Flogging is mentioned and not shown, Human AU, Implied Character Death, Injury, M/M, Minor Character Death, Piracy, Pirate AU, Sailors au, Soulmate AU, Violence, violence toward the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:54:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21946171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceDetective/pseuds/AceDetective
Summary: Roman watched as the writing faded from his wrist. His soulmate’s desperate attempts to finally communicate with him. Roman never replied, he couldn’t. The young sailor could neither read what they wrote or write a reply of his own. Even if he could, he had no idea what language his soulmate wrote in.He hefted his bag over his shoulder and boarded Majesty. The merchant ship was leaving New York City to go to the West Indies trade furs and timber for sugar and currency. Roman didn’t care too much for what was traded, he only wanted the adventure.
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Logince
Series: Pirate Au [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1595854
Comments: 10
Kudos: 95
Collections: Sanders Sides Secret Santa 2019





	1. Chapter 1

Roman watched as the writing faded from his wrist. His soulmate’s desperate attempts to finally communicate with him. Roman never replied, he couldn’t. The young sailor could neither read what they wrote or write a reply of his own. Even if he could, he had no idea what language his soulmate wrote in.

He hefted his bag over his shoulder and boarded _Majesty_. The merchant ship was leaving New York City to go to the West Indies trade furs and timber for sugar and currency. Roman didn’t care too much for what was traded, he only wanted the adventure.

One day, Roman could worry about meeting the woman meant for him . . . Just not now. The idea of his soulmate unsettled him.

“Roman, when you’ve put your bag in your bunk, see the Captain,” the first mate called out as Roman boarded.

“Yes, sir!” Roman called back.

Roman went below deck, dodging the sailors scrambling to load the vessel with the cargo and supplies. The bunks were at the bow of the vessel. It made sleeping difficult on stormy nights as the vessel braved the waves, but Roman had grown used to it.

The bunks were crowded. Most beds were already claimed, filled with bags and supplies from sailors who arrived before Roman. Roman set his bag on an empty bed and left. The stuffy sleeping area was not his favorite part of the journey, but the call of the sea was worth it.

Roman grew up on the waters of Long Island. He fished with his Pa, sailed the coast by himself to trade the family’s goods and anything else he could. No one was surprised when he told his family he was going to become a sailor.

He hummed as he walked to the stern to see the captain. Roman hadn’t worked with Jack R. Herring before but heard the captain was a fair man, one more understanding with his crew. The type of man Roman wanted to work under.

Roman’s mother had feared for him when he announced his intentions of sailing the seas. Not every captain was as kind as Herring. Roman understood why, but his mother hasn’t.

At sea, a captain needed the absolute loyalty and best efforts from his crew. It was a dangerous place to be. The sea was full of dangers. Storms could drown an entire crew if one man neglected his station. Sirens could lire men to their deaths with a song. And the most dangerous thing? Pirate. Rogue sailors who lacked morals and brought down crew after crew until their capture. Roman was fortunate enough to have not come across such problems, but the possibility remained.

When he arrived at Captain Herring’s cabin, he knocked at the door and waited. The door opened and before him was Captain Herring.

“Hello, Roman.”

“Captain?”

“Come in. There’s something I wish to discuss.”

Roman burrowed his brow in confusion and stepped into the cabin. Captain Herring shut the door behind them.

“You cannot repeat what you hear here with the rest of the crew, understand?”

“Yes, Captain. However, what am I to hear?” Roman asked, glancing around.

The space was small, but still much larger than the space Roman had to himself on the ship, which if he were unfortunate, he would have to share with another crew member as the watches alternated.

Captain Herring directed him to the table, “Sit down. We shall be here for a while.”

Roman bit his lip, “Is there a problem, Captain?”

Captain Herring took a seat at his desk, “Not at all.”

The captain pushed a bottle towards Roman. Roman examined the bottle and recognized it as a whiskey his father had received from a merchant once. His father had saved the bottle for when Roman came of age and then shared it with him.

“We can drink after we have discussed the matter.”

Roman nodded silently, curious as to what would make the captain share something so fine with Roman. Captains did not normally share such things with their crew, but he had heard Captain Herring was different.

Captain Herring cleared his throat, “I’ve heard reports of Pirate Captain Logic on our route. I need someone I can trust to care or the crew if First Mate Virgil and I befall harm. Can you handle it?”

Roman frowned at what he heard. Captain Logic was trouble. His career had lasted seven years when most pirates were captured in only two. If a crew was attacked by him, no one lived to tell the tale. The Pirate Captain’s true identity was unknown. Roman only knew what he heard from other sailors, and did not trust what little information was had.

“This is a large responsibility, sir. I would be honored to take it if I were not illiterate,” Roman replied, carefully choosing his words.

Despite never having the opportunity to learn written language, Roman grew up crafting tales to tell his father to pass the time as they fished. Listening to other fishermen and through his own stories, Roman became well-versed in the spoken tongue. He took pride in this ability, as it gained him the respect and admiration of his fellow sailors when they were weeks out at sea with little to do.

Captain Herring nodded, “As is the rest of my crew, with the exceptions of myself and Virgil. I would be willing to teach you if that is your only concern.”

Roman’s eyes widened, “You would?”

“Knowledge is an invaluable tool and I must trust that should I die you will use it to return my crew safely to shore.”

“That’s – oh. Wow.”

“And surely, if your soulmate would get an answer if you’re able to reply.”

Roman’s lips pressed into a thin line. That was right. He could no longer ignore the woman on the other side of their connection.

“Roman?” Captain Herring asked. “Are you well? You became rather pale.”

Roman cleared his throat, “I’m fine. Just surprised, Captain. I never thought I could reply to her.”

The captain smiled, “Alright. Your lessons will begin tomorrow night, after your watch. From there, we will see what you need.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

Roman laid awake in the bunks, watching as ink strokes appeared on his arms. He should feel joy about finally learning what his other half wrote, but instead, he felt fear. The idea of loving a woman? It didn’t sit well with him, it never had. Roman knew as a man he was meant to love a woman, but it never seemed close. Loving a woman was always blocked by his inability to read her words.

The words on his arms washed away, gently scrubbed away by his soulmate’s hand. Perhaps he could learn to love her when they met. It wasn’t fair that his soulmate went unloved due to Roman’s foolish fear.

With the captain’s offer to teach him, the day Roman would meet his soulmate had grown finitely closer. Roman couldn’t turn down the opportunity, despite this. Literacy opened the path to becoming an officer, or a captain to him. A captain could retire, have land, or an estate if he wanted.

While Roman loved the sea, his body would not withstand her demands forever. And a sailor’s pay wouldn’t sustain him once he returned to the shores permanently. He needed a plan for when that day arrived. Meeting his soulmate would have to come with it, it seemed.

He sighed and rolled over to his side now that his soulmate no longer wrote, for the night at least. He needed to sleep before he was expected for his watch shift. His bunkmates were carried off by sleep long before now when the moon had first risen, yet he remained awake. Roman did so nightly, despite his lack of interest in his soulmate.

Roman wasn’t the only member of the crew in such a situation. He knew that several members of the crew had soulmates who could write to them, forever waiting for a reply, though the idea of the women on the other side of their bonds did not bother them so. That was where Roman differed from the rest. And he knew to keep it quiet.

Much like how he knew to remain quiet about the captain’s favoritism.

It would not bode well on a ship for the crew to be mistrusting of their captain, or feeling that one member of the crew was unfairly favored. Roman would not risk a mutiny as they sailed to the seas where Logic roamed.

He glanced around the dimly light cabin, the moon’s light reflecting through the deck prisms above their heads. All of the crew was fast asleep. O’Malley snored loud and rumbling in the bunk above Roman. Sanchez quietly slumbered in the bunk across from him. No one was there to see him awake.

He hummed a quiet lullaby, closing his eyes so that sleep could carry him off too.

* * *

The lessons with Captain Herring continued as they made their way to the West Indies. The trip was long and the seas were less than forgiving. Roman, a seasoned sailor, found himself nearly as green as the green hands aboard at one point or another. When O’Malley commented on it, Roman huffed and continued to work the lines, calloused hands barely feeling the rough friction of the rope on his skin.

First Mate Virgil passed by them, pausing briefly to glance at Roman’s arm and continued. Roman looked to see his soulmate had written once more.

“Make sure you cover that, your soulmate wrote some unseemly descriptions, Roman,” Virgil said coolly.

“Yes, sir!” Roman replied, noting to unroll his sleeves when he finished with the ropes.

He did not think much of it. While most of the crew could not read, the officers could and Roman doubted they wanted to see such language. Even if Roman was sure the crew said much worse in their free time than anything his soulmate could write.

He tied off the line and unrolled his sleeves. He was curious about what was written but doubted his lessons had come far enough to cover the words. He could barely begin to read the simplest of sentences, ones far below the writing capacity of an educated adult such as the captain and his soulmate.

O’Malley raised an eyebrow, “What’s the problem with some words no one can read?”

Roman shrugged, “I’m unsure, but if Virgil takes issue with it, I’ll cover it.”

Roman refused to expose his arms again, he was not in the mood for a punishment today. He had yet to be flogged on the _Majesty_ and wanted to keep it that way. It was not a pleasant experience and disobeying an order could ruin his opportunity with Captain Herring.

“You take what Virgil says too seriously,” O’Malley scuffed.

Roman ignored him.

“Jolly Roger to Port!” the deckhand in the crow’s nest called out.

“All hands on deck!” First Mate Virgil shouted. “We need to outrun them. Roman, get the Captain.”

“Yes, sir!” Roman ran below deck immediately.

Roman opened Captain Herring’s door and looked around. The captain was asleep in his bed, as he and Virgil switched off watches. Roman shook Herring’s shoulder.

“Captain! A ship flying the Jolly Roger was spotted on our port side!”

Captain Herring’s eyes snapped open and he sat up in his bed.

“Do we know if it’s Captain Logic?” he asked.

Roman shook his head, “No. Virgil sent me down the moment the ship was spotted.”

Captain Herring threw off his blanket and grabbed his jacket, slipping into his boots as he stepped out of bed.

“You will stay down here, in case Virgil and I perish. You will have command,” Herring said.

“Sir, I can help,” Roman insisted.

Roman reached out as the Captain walked to the door, sleeve slipping up his arm. Herring paused and turned back.

“Roman, I ord-” Captain Herring starred at the writing on Roman’s arm.

Roman flushed and pulled his sleeve back down, now knowing there was a reason to Virgil asking him to cover up. Roman was rather surprised that his soulmate had yet to wash it off as she normally did. Whatever was said, she wanted it known.

“Yes, yes, come up to the deck with me,” Herring said quietly, looking away from the writing.

Roman nodded and hurried out of the cabin with Herring. On deck, the entire crew was scrambling about. Some prepared weapons, other adjusted the sails, and Virgil was at the helm, steering the ship so that the winds hit the sails correctly.

“Do we have eyes on the pirates?” Herring called up to the crow’s nest.

“Aye, Captain!” the crewman called down. “They’re adjusting their masts to match our pace!”

Captain Herring cursed, “He shall catch us then. Roman, stay by my side.”

“Captain, I-“

“No, you will help me fight Loga-Logic.”

Roman went silent at the name slip. Herring knew the Pirate Captain . . . Did he work with him? He followed the captain to the helm, watching the captain’s expression carefully.

There was no question of whether the pirates would catch them, merely a when. Herring watched the pirates gain on them, the pirate’s ship a superior vessel to the _Majesty_. He kept his shoulders back and head held high.

Roman fidgeted beside the captain, uncomfortable with the orders he was given. He couldn’t help the crew without disobeying direct orders from his captain. He could feel Virgil watching him as the first mate held the helm in place. Roman shivered and faced ahead as the pirates approached.

“Virgil, give the command to stop, but not to drop anchor,” Captain Herring murmured.

“Men, hold our position!” Virgil ordered. “Anchor up!”

Roman watched as the crew looked to Virgil in confusion, but followed the orders. A few grabbed weapons to prepare for when the pirates caught up. A decision Roman would have made too, as the pirates drew closer. Yet he stood weaponless when Herring expected him to help with Captain Logic . . . Hopefully, Herring had a plan.

The pirate ship slowed as she neared, movements ceasing when beside the _Majesty._ On the deck, amongst various pirates working lines and drawing weapons, stood a smug pirate with short black hair and a blue handkerchief tied around his neck.

“Hello, Herring,” the pirate greeted. “I believe your ship carries cargo that belongs to me.”’

Herring huffed, “While you are correct, you do not know of which you speak.”

Logic gave the captain a questioning look and held up his left fist, signaling to his men. The pirate crew began to move, men jumping over the railings, swinging across on lines and some ran to canons kept on deck. Logic grabbed a line and sung across, boarding the _Majesty_ as a fight started on her deck.

Herring grabbed Roman’s arm and pulled him back as Logic landed in front of them. As the two captains faced each other, Roman noted the similarities in their faces. Where Herring’s nose was crooked, Logic’s was straight and while Logic had a scar running from his hairline to his jaw, Herring’s face was scar-free. Other than that, the two were identical.

Herring did not let go of Roman’s arm, instead, his hold tightened. Roman looked down questioning this action as Logic too looked on.

“What business would I have with a deckhand?” Logic asked. “He’ll die with the rest of your crew.”

“Brother, you have every reason to care,” Herring said confidently.

Herring nodded to Virgil and Virgil grabbed Roman’s other arm, letting go of the helm. Virgil nodded back to Herring and rolled up Roman’s sleeves. The writing remained on his arms. Roman’s eyes traveled to it, catching the meaning of one or two of the words as he went. Nothing important though.

“Captain?” Roman questioned when he remained restrained.

“Silence, Roman.”

“Jack, let him go,” Logic growled.

Roman looked to Logic in shock. Logic’s expression hardened as he tried to mask the growing fear in his eyes. Roman didn’t understand what would cause the pirate to have such fear. He didn’t understand why he was restrained. Did his soulmate know the pirate? That had nothing to do with him.

He moved his wrist to test the strength of the hold and Virgil tightened his hold on Roman’s arm and twisted it.

“Stop moving,” Virgil ordered.

Captain Herring unsheathed his sword and tugged Roman free of Virgil’s hold. He grabbed Roman around his chest and pressed his sword to Roman’s neck.

Roman stilled as the blade’s steel pressed against him, “Sir? Captain, why?”

Herring pressed the blade harder into his neck, breaking the skin and making Roman hiss in pain.

Logic growled, “Jack.”

“Let us pass and complete our voyage and your soulmate lives.”

“C-Captain, there must be a mistake!”

Herring pressed harder and Roman cried out in pain. Herring kept increasing the pressure. The pain burned in Roman’s neck, his knees growing weak.

“Now or never, Logan,” Captain Herring hissed. “He won’t last forever.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Virgil spoke calmly.

Roman glanced to the side without moving his head. The First Mate stabbed Herring in the chest, bringing his dagger down roughly. Herring’s grip on the sword lessened until it fell onto the deck, Herring himself falling shortly after.

Roman stumbled away, a hand flying to his neck to put pressure on the wound. Logic approached him, but Roman backed away from him.

“You need to be treated,” Logic said quietly.

“St-stay back! Both of you!” Roman shouted.

He flinched as he spoke, the cut in his neck flaring and burning. He swayed on his feet and threw out his arm to balance himself.

“Men, set fire to the ship!” Logic called to the lower deck.

“N-no . . .”

Roman’s knees gave out beneath him, hitting the wooden deck with an ungraceful thump. His vision blurred and turned to black.

* * *

Roman’s neck was numb when he woke up. He felt stiff, yet he felt more comfortable than he had since he joined the _Majesty_.

“Are you awake?”

Roman blinked, shifting his head and hissing. The numbness in his neck began to slowly burn with pain. A hand gently pressed something cold to his neck, which soothed the burning.

“I haven’t wrapped the wound yet, but I will soon,” the voice promised.

Roman blinked again and saw Logic kneeling at his side. His eyes widened in panic but his body refused to move.

“I am sorry for what my brother has done, dearest Roman.”

“We can’t be soulmates,” Roman argued weakly. “We’re both-”

“Men? Yes, it’s possible, as a few members of my crew are soulmates. I am relieved. I have never met a woman who caught my eye.”

Roman listened closely, taking in the new possibility. He thought he was strange for how he felt about his soulmate until now, but perhaps it was more common than he thought.

Roman didn’t know what to do. It was a relief to know a woman didn’t lie on the other end of his bond, but a pirate? What actions could he take with such a soulmate. . . Would Logic allow him to live? To go free? No one who faced the pirate did.

“When I became Logic, I never expect we would meet.”

“And now that we have?”

Logic sighed and wiped his hands off on a cloth, which he then placed on the nightstand.

“I suppose it is up to you. I will not keep my soulmate as a prisoner, but you are welcome to stay, as my guest or as a member of my crew. We are near our retirement to the mainland, after which I plan to return to my family’s estate,” Logic said.

“You’re retiring?”

Logic nodded, “I do not wish to be hung one day and have gained enough riches to live comfortably, as ex-merchant Logan Herring. I guarded my identity fiercely so that I could return to life on land.”

Retirement was a concept Roman understood, having initially taken Captain Herring’s offer so that he may retire one day. But a pirate? Returning to society after having shunned it and run to the sea? Roman didn’t understand Logic, or well, Logan.

“What does that mean for me?” Roman asked.

Logan hummed, “Well, we can see where this goes.”


	2. Author's Note

Hey guys, gals, and nonbinary pals! I enjoyed writing this fic and now plan on writing more within this universe. My spring semester starts in a few weeks, but I'm hoping to add another fic and update my other aus before then!

\- Ace


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